The 'Barbie' director will preside over the feature film competition jury at the 77th annual event.
Greta Gerwig just keeps making cinema history!
The celebrated Barbie director and three-time Oscar nominee has been tapped to serve as the president of the 77th Cannes Film Festival feature film competition jury.
The festival announced the news in a press release on Thursday, in which they praised Gerwig's monumental accomplishments.
"Yesterday, ambassador of independent American cinema, today at the summit of worldwide box-office success, Greta Gerwig manages to combine what was previously judged to be incompatible: delivering arthouse blockbusters, narrowing the gap between art and industry, exploring contemporary feminist issues with deft as well as depth, and declaring her demanding artistic ambition from within an economic model that she embraces in order to put to better use," the festival shared in their effusive statement.
The position is an historic one, as Gerwig is the first American female filmmaker to preside over the Cannes jury, which is tasked with handing out the festival's prestigious awards -- including the Palme d’Or and Caméra d’Or.
She's also the first American woman in general to serve as jury president since 1965, when the job went to Olivia de Haviland -- who had the distinction of being the first woman to get the gig.
Gerwig shared a statement in the release celebrating the opportunity, and her passion for moving movies.
"I love films -- I love making them, I love going to them, I love talking about them. As a cinephile, Cannes has always been the pinnacle of what the universal language of movies can be," Gerwig shared in her statement. "Being in the place of vulnerability, in a dark theatre filled with strangers, watching a brand-new film is my favorite place to be."
"I am stunned and thrilled and humbled to be serving as the president of the Cannes Film Festival Jury," she added. "I cannot wait to see what journeys are in store for all of us!"
As noted in the release, Gerwig, 40, is also the youngest jury president in 58 years, after Sofia Loren took on the role in 1966.
This year has proven to be a monumental one for Gerwig all around, as her film Barbie broke all kind of records at the box office.
To date, the film has raked in a staggering $1.44 billion worldwide, making it the 14th highest-earning movie of all time, and Warner Bros.' most successful film of the year. Gerwig also has the distinction of being the first female director to helm a film that crossed the $1 billion mark.
On Thursday, Barbie also shattered records when it was nominated for 18 Critics' Choice Awards -- the most nominations for any film ever in the 29-year history of the organization.
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival takes place May 14 through May 25.
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